Conveyer system, including a stacker, trailing conveyer, and belt lifting feed hopper



2 Sheets-Sheet l WEGGUM a /1 lll lll lll 1. x mm a m vnn n J a I Gus-r WEGGUM, {W

CONVEYER SYSTEM. INCLUDING A STACKER, TRAILING CONVEYER. AND BELT LIFTING FEED HOPPER June 9, 1953 Original Filed March 10. 9 9

June 9, 1953 G. WEGGUM 2,641,353

CONVEYER SYSTEM. INCLUDING A STACKER, TRAILING CONVEYER, AND BELT LIFTING FEED HOPPER Original Filed March 10, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Gus-r WEGGUM;

Patented June 9, 1953 UNITED ES PATENT OFFI 2,641,353

CONVEYERE SYSTEM, INCLUDING Ar STRCKER=,,- TRAILING; CONVEYER- BELT- LETTING FEED- HOPPER Gust Weggum, Nashwauk, Minn, assignor'td The Jeffrey Manufa'eturing company, a commat'ion o'f Ohio Ali object" of the. invention? is to provide a general arrangement; as above set forth, in which the hopper is stationary and the associated eonvey'er frame is mounted on tracke or the like, and thus adjustable along its longitudinal axis relative'to said feedhopper;

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter; the novel features and combinations being set forth in the accompanying. claim.

This" application is a division of my application, Serial No. 80,695, filedMarch 1'0", I949, now

Patent no; 2,554,077, granted May 22 I951 entitled Movable Feed Hopper for Belt Conveyers.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is' a diagrammatic side elevational view of an installation incorporating features of my invention;

' Fig. 2 is an enlarged side eleyati'onal view oi one form of the feed hopper, in which the" hopper is longitudinally adjustable relative to astetionary'eonv'eyer;

showing particularly the mounting of the pneumatic tired cushioning idlers below the belt as it passes under'the feed'hopper;

Fig. 4 is an end View of the feed hunter. of Fig. 2', showing the associated? longitudinallyextending stationaryconveyer; V

Fig; is a side elevational" view of" a modified form of feedhopper; I

Fig 6 is an' end View of the feed hopper" of 5, showing the associated stationary eon' veyemand with parts brokena'wa'y;

Fig; '7 is an" end view of a modified feed horiper, in which the hopper is stationary and the associated belt conveyer is provided with wheels m"oui'ited on rails" and is adjustable longitudinally relative to said feed hopper. In this modifies tionthe" grouped idler's' directly" under the per are not of the pneumatie tiretypebutare preferably rubber surfaced cushioning ielers'; and" Fig.- 8 is a diagrammatic View of a movable" feed hopper associated with the end of a belt; conveyerl The feed hopper illustrated may have the form of that oi Figs} 2 3- and 4 or that of Figs;- 5' and 6'.

Fig. 3 is a plan view; with parts" broken away;

tioned; or in dealing with the overburden m an open pit coal mine, the construction ofdams and causeWays, and the like.

As illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the conveyer system includes a large stackeror dis charge boom it which includes an endless conve'y'er belt I! which extends Between a head or discharge pulley i2 and a tail pulley 1'3, being reeved about drive pulleys; I54. The rearend of the stacker- HT is provided With a; feed hopper which receives material from a feeding or trailing, conveyer [6. The rear end of the stacker I0 is mounted for swinging adjustment about an upright axis on a turntable l l carried hy'a track mounted truck [8 adapted to run on tracks" or rails 1 9; At substantially its center of gravity, preferably slightly forward; thereof, the stacker Wis mounted-ona tractor 20'.

The front end of the feeding or trailing conveyer IE includes a head frame the front oi which is mounted on the truck. I8; and the rear end of which is mounted; upon a truck 21 adapted toride upon rails 22' which: may he of lesser gauge than the rails mg The feeding conveyer It also includes a trailing. frame portion 23 which is providedwith wheels 21 which travel upon the rails 22 Said trailing frame portion 23 of the conveyer It extends: through andheyond: a feed; hopper; designated generally by the reference character 25,. andextends to a tail pul le y- 32-.-

Extending throughout the trailing; conveyer- [6 and over the tail pulley 3-2" at the rear end and ahead pulley 26' at its forward endthere is an endless conveyor belt- 2-lmounted upon either flat or troughing idlers carried. by said trailing frame portion 23 as well as'the fabricated frame portion of thesaid reedingconveyer It.

In Fig. 8 of the drawings there: is: illustrated a different arrangement ot a feed. hopper and associated. belt conveyer which may be; used in asitu'ati'oni in which; no longitudinalfeeding at the belt conv'eye'r' is required, but in which; the feed? position of the: hopper is to be adifusted. This feed hopper: is" designated in general by the r'fl nfi character 28 and is associated a b'elt conveyor including ane'rrdiess helt is having a head pulley; not showii, and a: nmley 3'0 and including a stationary frame it,

seen in Fig. 4 of the drawings, which carries conventional troughing upper run idler assemblies 33 and flat lower or return run belt supporting idlers 34.

The detailed construction of the adjustable or movable feed hopper 28 of Fig. 8 of the drawings in one form is illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, to which attention is particularly directed. Said adjustable or movable'feed hopper 28 includes a main truck or frame 35 having forward and rearward pairs of track engaging wheels 36 adapted to ride on the tracks or rails 22. One pair of said wheels 36 may be power driven from a motor 31 through appropriate drive gearing, whereby the position of the adjustable feed hopper 28 may be adjusted along the length or longitudinal axis of the associated stationary conveyor I Forward of the truck or frame 35 there is a portable two-wheel cart-like truck 38 which is pivotally attached to the truck 35 on a horizontal axis and which in effect constitutes an extension thereof. The truck 35 and truck 38 carry a plurality of idlers 39 which progressively raise and thereafter progressively lower the upper run of the belt 29 to and from a belt loading position immediately below a hopper 48 where the belt 29 is loaded with material.

By reference particularly to Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings it is, of course, evident that the idlers 39 are effective to lift the belt 29 from the idlers 33 of the trailing conveyor 2933, as said upper run of belt 29 passes through the truck 35 and truck 38, or, in other words, as it comes up to and leaves the loading position and while at said loading position. After the belt 29 is loaded with material it is gradually lowered by the idlers 39 until it is again received by the idlers 33 of the associated longitudinally extending stationary conveyor 2933.

To protect the belt 29 during the loading operation, as well as other machinery, there is a nest, plurality, or group of closely associated idlers 4| mounted on appropriate shafts and carried by the truck 35 located directly below the discharge opening in the bottom of the hopper 40. These idlers M are preferably provided with pneumatic tires and constitute, per se, a well known type of belt supporting loading idler.

The truck 35 also is preferably provided with a pair of stairs 42 leading to an observation or operators platform 43 adjacent the hopper 4D.

In Figs. and 6 of the drawings there is illustrated a modified form of movable or adjustable feed hopper designated I28. In its essential characteristics the movable feed hopper I28 follows the feed hopper 28 above described. It differs, however, in certain details which are obvious from an inspection of the drawings, some of which will be mentioned.

In place of the pneumatic tires 4| which provide a plane surface support for the belt 29 while being loaded, pneumatic tires 44, which have the same function as the tires 4|, are provided, but provide a troughing of the belt 29 while it is loaded from an associated hopper 45.

The truck 46 has been simplified somewhat, as compared with the truck 35. A ladder 41 leading to an observation platform is provided on a sub-truck 48 attached to the truck 46.

. In Fig. '7 of the drawings there is illustrated the construction of the feed hopper 2 5 in one form thereof, said feed hopper 25 being, of course, illustrated at the right hand end of the conveyer assembly in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Said feed hopper 25 includes a main frame 49 which is 4 mounted on a pair of skids 50 and adapted to rest upon the ground.

The feed hopper 25 is to be understood as following very closely the construction of the movable feed hopper 28, except for the fact that it is provided with stationary skids instead of the wheels 36. Also the frame 49 provides support for the rails 22 upon which the traveling conveyer .l6 moves longitudinally along its own axis relative to the feeding hopper 25. In other words, the essential difference between the feed hoppers 25 and 28 is that feed hopper 25 is relatively stationary and the conveyer I6 moves relatively thereto along its longitudinal axis, while movable feed hopper 28 moves along the longitudinal axis of the relatively stationary associated conveyer 2933. The detailed parts of the two may be Y substantially identical except for the differences indicated. However, instead of the pneumatic tires below the hopper 5| of the feed hopper 25 there is illustrated a rubber covered type of cushioning idler which, for example, may follow the construction disclosed in the application of Stanley M. Mercier, Serial No. 740,013, filed April 8, 1947, now Patent No. 2,596,499, granted May 13, 1952, or Patent No. 2,169,624 to Charles R. Weiss et al., dated August 15, 1939,

It is, of course, to be understood that, if desired, pneumatic tires may be employed with the hopper 25 and, conversely, the rubber covered cushioning idlers may be employed with the hopper 28 or I28. Rubber covered cushioning idlers are seen at 52 in Fig. 7 of the drawings and they are preferably positioned close together, as clearly suggested in Fig. 1 of the drawings, so as to provide adequate support and cushioning of the belt 29 adjacent the hopper 5|.

In the operation of that portion of the conveyer system and stacker illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings it is evident that as the stacker I0 successively swings about an upright axis in a generally horizontal plane, discharging material over the head pulley I2, it is progressively or generally continuously fed forward, this being permitted by the truck I8 and the trailing conveyer I6. All this time the position of the feed hopper 25 is fixed, while the conveyer I6 is free to move back and forth or longitudinally along its axis relative thereto. At all times the upper run of the belt 21 is lifted from the idlers of the conveyer I6 adjacent the feed hopper 25 and supported on cushioning idlers either of the pneumatic or solid rubber covered type, while the belt is receiving material.

The system may further include a belt conveyer 2933 which is relatively fixed and discharges into the hopper 5I of the stationary hopper 25. It may be desirable to have a movable feed hopper associated with said stationary conveyer 2933 and such an arrangement is illustrated in one form in Figs. 2 to 4 of the drawings and in another form in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings.

The general arrangement of such a movable feed hopper in association with the belt 29 is illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings. In this arrangement the conveyer 2933, being stationary, the associated movable feed hopper 28, or I28, as the case may be, is adjustable along the longitudinal axis of the conveyer 2933 by virtue of the portable mounting thereof. This makes it possible to adjust the feed position of the conveyer 2933 without requiring an excessive number of cushioning idlers in association with the upper run, while insuring the presence of such cushioning idlers in association with said upper run at any position where it is desirable to feed material to said belt conveyer 29-33.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claim hereto appended, and applicant therefore wishes not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of the invention, what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A conveyer system comprising, in combination, a stacker, a trailing conveyer attached thereto and including an endless belt supported on idlers for feeding material to said stacker and movable rectilinearly as said stacker moves forward, and a feed hopper for said trailing conveyer mounted for independent longitudinal movement relative 6 to said trailing conveyer, said feed hopper including means for lifting said belt from said idlers and having cushioning idlers for supporting the belt while the belt is receiving material from the feed hopper.

GUST WEGGUM.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

